Edinburgh motorbike theft sparks police pursuit before van hits cyclist
A 20-year-old man has been arrested after a police chase through Edinburgh ended in a crash with a cyclist
Reports of a motorbike theft sparked a police chase before a van collided with a cyclist and was abandoned in Edinburgh’s West End.
Police were called to reports of the alleged theft in Trinity at around 6.50am on Wednesday morning, October 21, and quickly traced a van believed to have been involved in the incident.
The driver of the van, which has also been reported as stolen, failed to stop for officers leading to a short pursuit that was called off. The van was then involved in a crash with a cyclist who was taken to hospital for treatment before its occupants abandoned the vehicle and left the scene.
The occupants, two males aged 15 and 20 , were later traced by police and the 20-year-old man arrested in connection to this morning’s incident.
Police will also report the teenager to relevant authorities.
Road Policing Inspector John Easton said: “We understand the circumstances of the incident this morning are concerning for local residents.
“I’d like to reassure the public, our priority is public safety and specially trained officers were deployed alongside divisional resources to ensure a safe conclusion.
The inspector confirmed that the cyclist was the only reported injury.
Police have now launched an investigation into the incident and are appealing for private CCTV, doorbell or dash-cam footage capturing “anything of significance”.
Anyone with information that could aid their investigation is urged to call 101 quoting incident 0416 of 21 October.